News you need to know

From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Nov 12): Michel did little for fantasy teams because his side got thumped in Nashville. He'll be healthier coming out of the bye, but could also be joined by Rex Burkhead soon. He has a wide range of values for the rest of the season.

Recent Stats and Projections

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Sony Michel's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 10 vs TEN (11 / 31 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Michel found almost no room to run, and as the Titans went up big early and kept the lead, the run game was used much less than normal. Michel looked fine out there, but there were no explosive plays to speak of. Similar to the passing game, credit the Titans d while giving a thumbs down to the Pats o-line.

2018 Week 7 vs CHI (4 / 22 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 13 / 0 rec)

On his 4th carry of the game, Michel's knee got twisted awkwardly and he remained out for the rest of the game. Early reports have said the injury isn't season ending, but it's looking likely he will miss games.

2018 Week 6 vs KC (24 / 106 / 2 rush, 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

As the clear lead back, Sony Michel had plenty of room to run, and carved up the Chiefs defense with a number of good gains. On his second play of the game he missed a big gain by running into a pile instead of cutting to his right after about 5 yards, but did make up for it with good patience otherwise. Both his touchdowns were short runs, though his 1 yard touchdown was partly a product of the Chiefs defense being so worried about a Tom Brady sneak. Expect Michel to continue to produce as the locked-in early down back, and don't be surprised if he starts to work into scripted passing plays more.

2018 Week 5 vs IND (18 / 98 / 1 rush, 1 / 1 / 12 / 0 rec)

For the second week in a row, Sony Michel looked good. He ran with good vision and power, including his long touchdown that saw a nice running lane and stiff arm to boot. He did miss out on a second long touchdown, trying to barrel over a defender in a 1on1 situation instead of using his explosiveness to elude the defender. Still, Michel continues to improve, which is the most important point for his future role.

2018 Week 4 vs MIA (25 / 112 / 1 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

What a difference a week makes. Armed with better run blocking, Sony Michel ran all over the Dolphins defense, showing great patience for a rookie coupled with good, hard running. One of his first carries of the game, he followed right behind James Develin who paved the way for a 15 yard gain, which is just something you don't see many backs do early in their careers. Michel also had a few runs where he shed tackles for extra YAC, which was nice to see after last week's dud. His day could have been much bigger from a fantasy standpoint, as he was stuffed on the goal line twice in one particular drive. His touchdown was a toss from 10 yards out, and large credit goes to left tackle Trent Brown who cleared out the most threatening defender in Michel's way. It was a strong performance for the run game as a whole.

2018 Week 3 vs DET (14 / 50 / 0 rush, 3 / 1 / -1 / 0 rec)

In what may have been the most ordinary running performance of the season, Sony Michel received 14 touches on the ground and did absolutely nothing with them. His long run was 12 yards, and he left more on the field. As an example, on a rush of about 8 yards to the right side, Michel barreled into an defender engaged with a blocker instead of making a cut that would have allowed him at least 5 more yards. Though he seemed to lack vision and concerningly, explosiveness, the run blocking was not good either. Josh McDaniels also seemed to be forcing the run game in odd spots, dialing up obvious plays - Michel always ran from under center, which telegraphed play calls for the Lions defense. It was a bizarre game from the coaching staff. Michel also dropped a couple passes, showing he's still not ready for a big passing game role. Whether this was more experimental or Michel has truly taken the rushing reins remains to be seen, but he and the line will need to be better going forward.

2018 Week 2 vs JAX (10 / 34 / 0 rush, 2 / 1 / 7 / 0 rec)

Operating as the primary ball carrier, Michel did nothing special of note on 10 carries. The Pats o-line was worked over fairly well, and there was very little running room. What is notable was that he saw more snaps than Rex Burkhead, who only saw playing time in the first and fourth quarters. If that continues, Michel will be worth deploying in fantasy lineups in the future just due to touch volume and a potentially potent offense.

Latest News

Patriots | Sony Michel doesn't do much (Sun Nov 11, 07:24 PM) - New England Patriots RB Sony Michel rushed 11 times for a team-best 31 yards in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans and he didn't have any catches or targets.

Our View: Michel was underwhelming as the Patriots had trouble sustaining drives and creating goal line opportunities. He's still an RB2 going in the bye, but we'll need to see more soon to trust him in the fantasy playoffs.link to story

Patriots | Sony Michel expected to play (Sat Nov 10, 12:22 PM) - New England Patriots RB Sony Michel (knee) is expected to be available to play in the Week 10 game.

Our View: That was the expected outcome this week. After missing the game against the Packers, Michel should be ready to go against the Titans on Sunday. He's a RB3 or flex option for Fantasy GMs in PPR leagues. link to story

Our View: Michel should return to the field this week for the Patriots. Make sure to check back on his status for Friday's practice. On the road against the Titans, Michel is a RB4 or deep flex option for Fantasy GMs...if he plays. link to story